The present invention generally relates to latch mechanisms and more particularly to latch mechanisms for vehicle doors and panels. Latch mechanisms are included in a wide variety of applications, including those involving access panels or doors. In a number of instances, for example, additional features may be employed with door handles for a vehicle to provide added protection or safety. Such additional features can be particularly useful in cases where an impact, such as a side impact or rear impact on a vehicle, may occur. The invention provides, among other things, a supplemental latching mechanism that assists in maintaining the reliability of a primary latching mechanism while preventing inadvertent opening of a door, even in the event of an impact or other significant force occurrence.
The present invention comprises a door handle assembly with a movable handle. In the preferred embodiment the handle is configured to be rotationally mounted to a door at one end of the handle. The handle is spring biased causing the handle to lie against the door (its sheet metal or skin) in a rest position. An end of the handle, opposite its pivot end, is displaceable from the rest position relative to the door and movable to an activated position when the handle is grasped and pulled by a user seeking entry (into the vehicle) through the door.
The spring bias can be realized in a number of ways; in the preferred embodiment of the invention the spring bias of the handle is obtained using a known type of bell crank (a pivoted, double lever mechanism). The handle comprises a projection (an engagement surface) to receive the bias force transmitted by one of the levers of the bell crank. As can be appreciated the interface between the mechanism, such as a spring that biases the handle to its rest portion and the handle, can take many forms. For example, the handle bias spring can be directly connected to the handle rather than acting through an intermediary mechanism or engagement surface.
When the handle is moved sufficiently away from the door, a door latch (sometimes referred to in the art as a door lock) is moved to an open condition and the door is now unlatched and ready to be pulled open. As can be appreciated, the handle can act directly on the door latch or indirectly through a cable or bar, as the handle and door latch are often remotely located.
The handle assembly further includes a blocking member also referred to as a latch member. The blocking member is rotationally fixed in the handle and carried by the handle. The blocking member includes a latch or hook latchable with a fixedly positioned latch surface, wall or feature provided by a cooperating member (fixedly attached to and movable with the door). The cooperating member is the cap or lock housing of the handle, which is fixedly secured to the sheet metal of the door and in general also functions, in part, as an aesthetic trim part of the handle assembly. The latch surface need not be formed as part of the cap or lock housing but also be realized by a part of the door sheet metal. With the blocking member in place, the door handle cannot be moved from its rest position to open the door.
The handle assembly further includes a spring-loaded activation member (also referred to as a trigger or trigger device) carried by the handle and in part displaceable relative to the handle and displaceable relative to the blocking member (also carried by the handle). Movement of the activation member moves the blocking member away from the latch surface to a disengage position. The activation member can be directly biased or loaded by a biased spring or indirectly loaded or biased with the spring acting, for example, on the blocking member. With the blocking member dislodged from the latch surface, the door handle is now capable of being pulled away from the door to unlatch the door latch and permit the door to be opened. In the illustrated embodiments of the invention the activation member is configured as a bar or lever rotationally fixed at one end, with the other end of the bar or lever in engagement with an extending lever of the blocking member. The activation member is located on the underside of the handle and depressible inwardly (relative to the handle). As can be appreciated, the rotatable activation member can replaced by a linearly movable button mounted to the underside of the handle, which directly moves the blocking member, or by a combination of a button mounted on the top of the handle and a cooperating lever member that moves the blocking member.
The blocking member can further include an inertial mass, which increases the latching effectiveness of the handle. During a side impact crash in a vehicle, the inertial forces act on the inertial mass, generating a torque that causes the blocking member to be urged against the latch surface preventing the blocking member from becoming dislodged from the latch surface.
Many other objects and purposes of the invention will be clear from the following detailed description of the drawings.